Short-term career programs offer win for students and employers

For nearly 30 years — since she was in high school — Georgia Ghearing had worked as a chef for various catering companies in Chattanooga. But when the pandemic put her out of a job, she had some big questions in front of her: How was she going to pay the bills? What was she going to do for work? How was she going to start over?

While sitting at home, Ghearing came to the conclusion that she was really good at corralling her younger, usually male colleagues and working in really hot, dangerous kitchens, “which led to deciding to become a welder,” she says in a phone interview. “It’s essentially the same thing.”

So she enrolled first in welding classes at Chattanooga State Community College, and later in the non-destructive testing program, or NDT, which trains students to use methods like ultrasonic, radioactive and magnetic testing to find defects in materials and structures such as dams and power plants.

Ghearing quickly connected with Tracie Clifford, one of her instructors, who became an important mentor. Under Clifford’s guidance, Ghearing was selected for an internship at the Idaho National Laboratory, which ultimately led to her current role as an inspector with Johnson Services Group, a subcontractor for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Now 46, Ghearing hopes to eventually secure a full-time position with TVA — one of the most coveted jobs for graduates of Chattanooga State’s NDT program, she says, partly due to TVA’s reputation as an excellent employer, and also because NDT positions offer some of the highest starting salaries for two-year certifications. According to ONET OnLine, a national occupational database, NDT workers in Chattanooga start at approximately $20 per hour, with a median wage of around $37 per hour.

Before all this, at age 17, Ghearing had enrolled in a four-year degree at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she pursued a fine arts degree. But when she ran out of money before graduating, she poured all her energy into full-time culinary work.

In charting the course for her post-pandemic life, Ghearing says she considered completing her liberal arts degree, but found the cost to be “prohibitively expensive.” In the 1990s, her tuition cost about $2,000 per semester, she says. But by December of 2022, finishing the last year would have cost more than $20,000.

Her NDT certification, which typically takes about two years to complete, took Ghearing less than a year thanks to several transferable college credits; and her tuition was paid for almost entirely by scholarships and federal student aid. While enrolled, she also worked at the campus library, which provided her with income and flexible study time that fit her schedule.

“It’s a stark difference between now and the 1990s,” she says. “It seems like students had a little more time to dream back then. I went to school thinking I would be an artist and a painter, and if that didn’t work out, that would be fine. But now I couldn’t afford to pursue that artistic dream.

“It sounds a little dark to say, but no one can afford to go to school for something that might not pan out.”

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“Career-specific education is gaining traction nationwide,” says Nancy Patterson, vice president of college advancement and public relations at Chattanooga State.

Patterson cites projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which anticipate millions of new jobs in health care and advanced manufacturing over the next five to eight years.

Enrollment data from Chattanooga State reflects the trend: automotive technology has increased by 14% compared to last year, while the collision repair technology program is up 8%. The computer support technician program has seen an 11% increase, and welding technology has grown by 7%. Industrial electricity and HVAC technician programs have both increased by 7% and 4%, respectively, while commercial truck driving enrollment is up by 3%.

Other growing fields include early childhood education, elementary education, engineering and mechatronics, Patterson adds. As of October, 96 high school students have applied for 60 available spots with the college’s Construction Career Center, for fall 2025. And last year, school data showed more than half the students pursuing degrees at Chattanooga State said they intended on working toward a bachelor’s degree or transferring their credits to other schools.

Wendolyn Davis, the college’s executive director of pathway alignment, emphasizes the importance of flexible scheduling and “stackable credits” for student success. Many college-age students are already juggling responsibilities with work and family, she says, and the ability to stop working while attending school is a luxury most can’t afford.

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The connection between short-term degrees and high-paying jobs in the Chattanooga area is vital for the community’s economic advancement, says Charles Wood, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. These sorts of education-employer relationships serve as critical pipelines for workforce development.

“There are a lot of people out there, frankly, (who don’t find) the idea of graduating from high school and going to college and sitting in a class for the next four years appealing. That’s not something they want to do,” he says. “But they might be interested in a short-term program that results in a great career.”

From the business perspective, many companies don’t necessarily view a four-year degree as the solution for their skills needs. He points to the health care sector as a prime example.

Health care employers often seek employees with education beyond high school, yet a four-year degree is not always necessary. Often, a candidate with a nursing or medical assistant certificate is often preferred over someone with a liberal arts degree.

“In some cases, a four-year degree that might be in liberal arts, as an example, is less valuable to them than someone who has that technical certificate,” says Wood.

“So, if you’re a hospital and you have two people apply for a job, and one has … a liberal arts degree, and the other has a certificate as a nursing or medical assistant — the person with the certificate, which doesn’t take very long … is probably going to get that job before somebody with a bachelor’s degree.”

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International tire manufacturers, Nokian Tyres opened its facility in Dayton, Tennessee in 2019 and currently employs more than 500 people. But due to its remote location, the company sometimes struggles to find candidates with the right education and experience, says Human Resources Director Blake Markham.

In response, the company has adopted a more flexible approach. One initiative involves partnering with Rhea County High School, allowing students to work part-time while attending school — with the opportunity for full-time employment after graduation. This helps bridge the skills gap and meet the company’s workforce needs.

Earlier this year, Nokian partnered with Chattanooga State to create leadership development classes for its employees. The first cohort consisted of current leaders within the company, while the second group consists of employees identified as potential future leaders, providing them with the skills needed to step into leadership roles.

While Nokian has not yet established a direct hiring pipeline employees with skill-specific degrees or certifications, that’s something the company is exploring, Markham says — particularly as Chattanooga State moves forward with the construction of its new Rhea County campus.

“The concept of short, specialized degrees is something we kind of do internally,” he says. “And it is something we’re interested in. Let’s cut to the chase: What does someone need to do to be successful in our company, and what can we do to get them there?

“If we are looking to fill a certain role, and can’t find the right candidate with the right degree and experience, we prioritize experience and skills over education. … If they don’t come to us with that educational background, we’re using workforce development to meet our needs and close those gaps.”

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